Anchor



r h 1931- T. BIRKENMAIER ET AL ,7

' ANCHOR Filed Oct. 3. 1927 Patented Mar. 10, 1931 um?!) STATE FFIcE s PATENT THEODORE BIBKENMAIER, OF ST. LOUIS, AND LESTER PIERCE BOLL, MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS TO \V. N. MATTHEWS CORPORATION, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI ANCHOR Application filed October 3,

This invention relates to anchors and with regard to certain'more specific features, to screw type, ground anchors and means for sinking them. a

Among the several objects of the nvention may be noted the provision of simple, compact and more effective apparatus whereby an improved screw anchor may be sunk or buried with a minimum of breakture hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 'is a vertical ground section showing a side elevation of a buried anchor with an anchor wrench applied in its installing position; v L

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the wrench removed and an eye applied to an anchor rod;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. '2;

Fig. 4 is. an enlarged side elevation of an anchor wrench; and

Fig. 5 isa bottom plan View of the wrench shown in Fig. 4.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the sevportion to prevent shearing or crushing of 'perportion 15, this tube being adapted to fit 'over the anchor rod 7. At the lower end of 1927. Serial No. 223,607.

Castintegrally with'the body portion 1 and EISCQl'lCllIlgIIOHl the pilot 3 to the head 7 is a helical web 9 which performs the holding function when the anchor is planted and, being of screw form, causes sinking of the an chor when rotation is accomplished.

Heretofore, in this general class of anchor, the head 5 has been given a polygonal shape and the installing wrench has been provided with a corresponding polygonal recess for twisting purposes; or gudgeons, lugs or the like have been formed onor about the head 5, with which recessed portions on the wrench were engaged. This has proved unsatisfactory for several reasons, among which was the fact that the weight of the anchor was required to be unnecessarily increased in order to provide metal enough in the polygonal said portion under application of stresses during theinstallation of the anchor in dry, hard and rocky ground. Also, the relationship between the size of the polygonal portion and the helical web wasalwayssuch that the ef fectiveness of the web was out down because of the large hole required in the ground forpermitting passage of the large wrench and the unnecessarily large body 1 for holding the large head.

The purpose of the present invention is to combine the means for attaching the installing wrench with the helical web or fluke,

thereby eliminating thenecessity for alarge polygonal head and correspondingly large body 1 and pilot 3.

In order to accomplish the above purpose there is provided (Figs. 1 and 4) a hollow torque tube 11 havin a round lower portion 13 and a polygonal Fpreferably square) upthe tube 11 there is welded or otherwiserfastened a driving lug 17 having recesses 19 and 21.

The circular head 5 is reduced in size below that of the body 1, thereby forming a shoulder with which the open lower end of the round portion 13 of the tube 11 may engage. I The relationship of parts is such that when the lower end of the tube 11 engages the shoulder at the head 5 for alignment purposes, the recess 19 is adapted to cooperate with the upper edge 23 of the web 9. Hence, if a twisting action is given to the tube 11 in a clockwise direction, the wrench will drive the anchor in such a manner that practically all of the driving stresses are compression stresses in the inherently strong web 9, rather than deleterious combined compression and shearing stresses in a head portion which SllOllltl be adapted to be made as small as possible. Thus, by combining two elements into one, an improved device is had.

In order to adapt the anchor for retrieving, there is provided a small lug 25 formed to be engaged by the rearward recess 21 of the lug 17, that is, upon counter-clockwise movement. This lug needs not be large, because the strains set up are less when the anchor is backed through previously cut ground than when it is driven down through uncut ground.

The reason for forming the upper portion of the tube 11 in a square or other polygonal shape 15 is to provide means for applying the hand wrench 27 during installation. A set screw 29 is usedto hold the wrench 27 at any one of various elevations on the rod 11 as the anchor is screwed down.

The operation of the device is as follows First, the anchor rod 7 is threaded into the tapped head 5, the anchor being above ground.

Next, the rod 11 is slipped over the anchor rod 7 and the lower end engaged with the head 5 so as to substantially engage the re- 7 cess 19 with the upper edge 28 of the web 9.

lhen the wrench-'27 is applied over the square portion 15 of the tube 11 and gravity is permitted to cause it to descend to engagement just above the round portion 13 at line XX (see Fig. 4).

Thereafter the anchor is given a clockwise rotation to screw it downwardly for sinking purposes. The drivingreaction is entirely through the web 9 from the lug 17 and no unnecessary strains are set up in the body 1, whichbody needs consequently be made only strong enough to take the end pull from the anchor rod 7.

As the sinking of the anchor progresses the wrench 27 may be progressively moved up and after the anchor has sunk to the desired level, said wrench 27, by fastening the set screw 29, may be used for pulling up the tube 11. This leaves the anchor in the installed posi tion. such as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Finally, an eye 31 is applied for the purpose of fastening a guy wire or the like (Fig. 2).

If, after the anchor has been installed, it is found that it is in an improper position and it is desired to retrieve it, the tube 11 is reapplied, before earth is filled in about the rod 7, and the recess 21 engaged with the lug 25. A counter-clockwise rotation of the tube 11 then results in the anchor being again screwed upwardly. The upward movement is more easily accomplished than the down ward movement and the lug 25 needs therefore be only of light construction.

It may be seen from Fig. 1 that the tube 11 is made long enough to extend beyond the end of the guy rod. This extension may be made as long as is desirable and has the advantage that as the anchor sinks, there is always an ample length of upwardly extending tubing for engaging the wrench so that an operator needs never stoop as the final position of the anchor is reached. He needs only lift the wrench and refasten it in higher tube positions from time to time. This feature is of great advantage where the eye is to have a final position near the ground, at which it is ordinarily difficult to apply the requisite torque with a long handled wrench because of interference between the ground and the rotating handles.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

e claim:

1. An anchor, including means for sinking the same, comprising a body, means for fastening a rod to the body, a holding web rigidly fastened to the body, a torque tube adapted to be applied over said rod and to engage the body for alignment and means on said tube for directly engaging said web for purposes of driving the anchor, the resulting strains being substantially all in said web, said body functioning as a pilot and means for aligning said tubes.

2. An anchor, including means for sinking the same, comprising a body, a helical web on the body, means for fastening a rod to the body, a pilot forming part of said body, a lug on said body, a torque producing means adapted to be applied over the rod and adapted to directly engage said helical web for purposes of driving the anchor to rotate in one direction and adapted to engage said lug for driving the anchor to rotate in the reverse direction.

8. An anchor, including means for sinking the same, comprising a body, a helical web on the body, means for fastening a rod to the body, a pilot forming'part of said body, a lug on said body, a torque producing means adapted to be applied over the rod and adapted to directly engage said helical Web for purposes of driving the anchor to rotate in one direction and adapted to engage said lug for driving the anchor to rotate in the reverse direction and means associated with said body for engaging with said torque producing means for guiding purposes. I r

4. An anchor, including means for sinking the same, comprising a body, a helical Web .011 the body, means for fastening a rod to the body, ,a pilot forming part of said body, a torque tube adapted to slide over the rod and means thereon for directly engaging said helical Web, means associated With said body for engaging the torque tube to guide the same, a polygonal shape on at least a portion of the torque tube and a wrench adapted to be moved progressively along said polygonal portion.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification this 29th day of September, 1927.

THEODORE BIRKENMAIER. LESTER PIERCE BOLL. 

